The current DIO touring lineup includes guitarist Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE), who has been filling in for an injured Craig Goldy for the past four weeks. Craig was previously said to have hurt his arm while touring Russia and was trying to continue to play the shows on painkillers, but was forced to leave the trek in early October.

In other news, DIO's December 1 date in Aarhus, Denmark has been cancelled. No reason was given for the cancellation. The first date of DIO's Scandinavian run will now be December 3 in Copenhagen. Also appearing on the bill will be URIAH HEEP and ASIA. The schedule is now as follows:

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has issued the following statement regarding the reports that vocalist Ronnie James Dio (DIO, ex-RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH) will be collaborating with Iommi on two tracks for an upcoming project tentatively dubbed "Black Sabbath: The Dio Years":

"We’d like to thank Wendy Dio [Ronnie's manager] for talking sense about the rumours concerning Ronnie Dio and BLACK SABBATH. To reiterate, Warner Bros. Records have been looking at putting out a SABBATH box set featuring Ronnie for some time and recently the search for previously unreleased material began. Amongst this, there are unfinished demos but they may not be considered worthwhile, in which case the guys might write something new. This is a long-term album project and no release date has been set."

As previously reported, Dio told BBC Radio 2's "Masters of Rock" program that "Tony Iommi and I are going to write a couple of tracks together for a project that I think is called 'Black Sabbath – The Dio Years'. So that'll be two unreleased tracks which I'm sure will be interesting to old SABBATH fans, and maybe [even] the new SABBATH fans."

Dio recorded a total of three studio albums with BLACK SABBATH — 1980's "Heaven and Hell", 1981's "Mob Rules" and 1992's "Dehumanizer" — in addition to appearing on the classic live album "Live Evil" in 1983.

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson was joined on his 'Masters Of Rock' program on Radio 2 by legendary singer Ronnie James Dio, discussing his time fronting Rainbow, Black Sabbath and his own band Dio, back on the road with their new album 'Master Of The Moon'. You can listen to a replay of the show at BBC.co.uk.

With respect to the recent rumors of Ronnie James Dio rejoining Black Sabbath, Dio manager Wendy Dio commented, "Ronnie is not re-joining Black Sabbath. He's very happy with his own band and will be touring festivals next year with Dio, NOT OZZFEST."

Dio goes on to clarify that, "the writing project is just something that may happen between Tony and Ronnie if they have time between their own projects to write one or two songs to be included on the Black Sabbath: The Dio Years box set."

Meanwhile, Dio finish up their UK tour this weekend with a show played in Tel Aviv, Israel for the first time and will be heading to Scandinavia in December. Tour dates are as follows: More...

On October 11, IRON MAIDEN fans the world over will have something new to get excited about as the newly re-launched Restless Records releases "Numbers from the Beast: An All Star Salute to Iron Maiden", a tribute to the legendary band. The album, which features MAIDEN's own Paul Di'Anno and marks Restless' return to its metal and punk roots, is produced by Grammy award winner and tribute album pioneer Bob Kulick (KISS, METALLICA, AEROSMITH), along with Brett Chassen, and features appearances from current or former members of IRON MAIDEN, KISS, AC/DC, MOTÖRHEAD, ANTHRAX, DIO, JUDAS PRIEST, TESTAMENT, TWISTED SISTER, EXTREME, WHITESNAKE, SLAUGHTER, HELMET, DOKKEN and many others.

"It's a fitting salute to an awesome band and may be the best tribute I've ever produced. I really like what we've done to these amazing songs, and more importantly, the band approves," says Kulick of the album.

"Numbers from the Beast" features 11 classic IRON MAIDEN tunes revamped in honor of the band's 25th anniversary. The final track listing is as follows:

01. Run to the Hills02. Wasted Years03. Wrathchild04. Flight of Icarus05. Fear of the Dark06. The Trooper07. Aces High08. 2 Minutes to Midnight09. Can I Play With Madness?10. The Evil That Men Do11. The Wickerman

The cover of every official IRON MAIDEN album has featured a zombie called "Eddie." Eddie has been painted by artist Derek Riggs for 20 years. "Numbers from the Beast" cover art was naturally painted by Riggs and is a must-have for any MAIDEN fan.

"Numbers from the Beast" marks the first release on the newly revamped Restless Records. William Hein, current president of Rykodisc and former head of Enigma Records, co-founded Restless in 1985 as a punk and metal sub-label of Enigma. Restless became a stand-alone label after Capitol-EMI acquired Enigma, and was subsequently acquired by Rykodisc in 2003. Now, back with a new sound and logo, Restless returns to its roots with the MAIDEN salute, as well as an upcoming reissue from California punk outfit 45 GRAVE.

VH1 is selling disinformation again in the name of being cute. This has become a real problem over there, where reaction over a few funny shows is turning the network into the obnoxious kid who won't stop popping off.

I'm writing about, of course, this awful "100 Most Metal Moments", which first showed its ugly head last year. At first, I was repulsed, angered ... and angered some more. I wanted someone at VH1 to pay for their stupidity and thoughtlessness in not only having no idea what metal was, but executing a show that, to some, would certainly be the authoritative voice on the subject. It's like giving Ashlee Simpson a part in a Janis Joplin bio film.

Once I calmed down, I realized this would go away. It wouldn't spread disinformation. VH1's addiction to cuteness, via second-rate celebrities popping off about things they don't understand, would take them in new directions. Or so I thought.

VH1 has decided to replay the show this month, which means that at any given time, a viewer has the chance to hear some so-called expert equate BON JOVI with the term "metal." Now I'm no Count Grishnackh, but in ninth grade I did ride all the way in the closed trunk of a Camaro (there was no room in the back seat) to see BLACK SABBATH at the Cow Palace.

Anyways, here's some of the VH1 tidbits a viewer can get brainwashed into believing are "metal" or even "most metal" if they're not careful: More...

Ex Rainbow, Black Sabbath and multi, multi, million selling solo star in his own right, Ronnie James Dio, one of the most instantly identifiable voices in rock music, has confirmed a VERY SPECIAL October UK tour. Tickets are priced £18.50 in London and £16.50 elsewhere.

There will be no support acts on the 'An Evening With Dio' tour, which will feature two live sets from Dio, including not only a host of classic songs from across his HUGE back catalogue, but also ALL of his classic, debut solo, multi-platinum, "Holy Diver" album from 1983.

Reunited San Francisco Bay Area metallers Death Angel have cancelled their previously announced appearance at the 2005 installment of the Waldrock Festival, set to take place on June 4 in Burgum, Netherlands. No reason was given for the cancellation. Currently scheduled to perform at the festival are Dimmu Borgir, Black Label Society, Accept and the latest confirmations, Dio and Soilwork. Tickets go on sale March 1.

Armageddon Music have announced a March 21 release date for the "Armageddon Over Wacken Live 2004" 3-CD set. The package will feature more than 220 minutes and 38 bands, along with liner notes, photos and information about the annual German metal festival. Here is the complete track listing:

Thunderstone recently revealed some facts about their upcoming album, called "Tools Of Destruction". The release date is April 18th for Europe, dates for USA and Japan will be announced soon.

The tracklist is as follows:

Tool Of The DevilWithout WingsLiquid Of The KingsI Will Come AgainWelcome To The RealThe Last SongAnother TimeFeed The FireWeight Of The WorldLand Of Innocence

The digipack version will include two bonus tracks/videos. The Japanese edition will contain a cover of the Dio classic "Rainbow In The Dark" as a bonus track.

On March 29th, a limited edition single for "Tool Of The Devil" will be released, and it will include the title track, a special edit of "I Will Come Again and "Tool Of The Devil (Dance Of The Devil Mix)".

In other news, Thunderstone has shot a video for the upcoming single track 'Tool of the Devil'. Check out some pictures from the shoot here.

Sweden's In Flames will be playing at the Graspop Metal Meeting which takes place in Dessel, Belgium on June 24-26. Among the other performers at the 10th-anniversary edition of the festival are: Accept, Grave Digger, Iron Maiden, Lacuna Coil, Dio and Nevermore. You can check out the festival website here.

Sweden Rock Festival will take place on June 9 to 11, 2005 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. The progressive metal band Dream Theater have just been confirmed for the festival. Other confirmed band are as follows:

Judas Priest will be embarking on a Japanese tour in late April/early May, immediately following the group's European trek. Exact cities and dates will be announced soon.

Priest have yet to announce their U.S. tour plans but it is expected that they will be scheduling a headlining run in the summer. Among the rumored support acts for the trek are Queensryche, Dio and Black Label Society.

Judas Priest's new album, "Angel of Retribution" (view cover here) is scheduled for release on March 1 via Epic Records.

Singer Rob Halford's first album with the band in 15 years, "Angel of Retribution" was produced by Roy Z, who has previously worked on solo albums from Halford and Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson. The set will be bundled with a concert DVD shot in a bullring in Valencia, Spain.

Epic will celebrate the reunion of the "Painkiller"-era Judas Priest lineup by issuing a DualDisc (a two-sided disc made up of a CD player side and a DVD player side) for the "Angel of Retribution" title.

Swedish metallers MORGANA LEFAY are the latest addition to the 2005 edition of the Bang Your Head festival (the 10th Anniversary edition) which is set to take place on June 24th and 25th in Balingen, Germany. Tickets are available at the ticket-hotline (+49-74 57-9 13 93) and via the homepage. Pre-sale cost of the tickets is 59 Euros (plus shipping). Organizers have "limited" tickets to 20, 000, to keep the one-stage event relaxed and somewhat intimate. More information can be found at Bang-Your-Head.de.

Virgin Steele are confirmed to play at Bang Your Head 2005-festival. The event is set to take place in Germany at the Messegelände of Balingen on the 24th and 25th of June.

Bang Your Head 2005 will be the 10th Bang Your Head in a row and is therefore themed "The Best of ten Years". To celebrate this anniversary, the festival's organizers invited the most popular acts of all former events. Alongside 22 acts that have rocked the festival's stage before, another well-known very special guest will be invited.

The list of artists set to perform at the Bang Your Head festival 2005 at Balingen, Germany, 24th/25th of June: More...

Twisted Sister, Dio, Saxon and the re-united Candlemass are all booked to appear at next year's Bang Your Head festival, which happens at Balingen, Germany on 24/25. Also on the bill for the tenth anniversary of the festival are Doro, Sebastian Bach, Nevermore, Krokus, Gamma Ray, Axel Rudi Pell and Amon Amarth.

The style of the new songs is a mixture of Saxon and Mercyful Fate with TTD’s classic Maiden-esque sound. The production will be a rawer and punkier vibe along the lines of Maiden “Killers” or Dio-era Sabbath. The bonus tracks will be TTD’s covers of "Crionics" (Slayer) for the digipack version and "Stand Up and Shout" (Dio) for the Japanese version (on Spiritual Beast Records).

There are also plans for a "Starshine" 12" vinyl EP to be released either before or in conjunction with the album. The track listing is: More...